No. 1 Lions roll past King's

The Lions suffered their last loss two years ago against the Knights to open the 2012 season. Lynden then got the best of King's in a nail-biting 2013 opener at Husky Stadium.

This one wasn't close.

Lynden coach Curt Kramme knew his No. 1-ranked Lions were talent-rich, but he wasn't sure how his group would come together until they played their first game.

Kramme unleashed all his offensive weapons, at least we think, against King's and the results was a lopsided 48-22 non-conference win Friday, Sept. 5, at Rollie DeKoster Field in Lynden.

“A lot of good and a lot of first-game stuff," responded Kramme when asked his thought on the Class 2A defending state champions' first time out. "There were some errors made that won't be made later in the year, but I think we saw some explosiveness on our part. I think we spread the ball around pretty good."

In all, six different Lions had a hand in touchdowns, and big plays ruled the night.

Lynden running back Trent Postma finished with 179 rushing yards, including a 97-yard touchdown scamper down the right sideline right before halftime.

Quarterback Sterling Somers threw for 167 passing yards with a 68-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Wittenberg and another 59-yard score to Scooter Hastings.

Backup quarterback Clark Hazlett also entered the mix, throwing for 113 yards and a 41-yard TD toss to Lucas Petersen. Hazlett, like Somers, also ran for a score.

"It was awesome. We had so many big plays out there," Postma said. "It was really sweet. It's fun to see, even for next year."

The win pushed Lynden's win streak to 28 straight, and the Lions didn't waste time notching win No. 1 of the 2014 campaign.

Lynden scored touchdowns on each of its first five first-half possessions. The offense amassed 327 first-half yards and only needed 22 plays to put up its five scores.

The Lions' defense played well, too, making several key stops deep in its own territory.

Lynden struggled at times with the King's passing attack, as Knights quarterback Koa Wilkins finished with 319 yards on 38 attempts.

But once Bryce Sterk, Caden Lair and the rest of Lynden's defensive front began applying pressure on Wilkins, the Knights' offense slowed.

"When we didn't get pressure, he was able to throw the ball pretty efficiently," said Kramme. "We started going man and (Sterk) and Caden both got some good pressure at

times."

Meanwhile, Lynden's offense built its defense a comfortable, early lead.

Somers, on the Lions' second offensive snap following a defensive hold to open the game, hit Wittenberg on a deep fly patter down the right side for a 68-yard score that put Lynden in front 7-0.

Somers added a 3-yard TD run to extend Lynden's lead to 14-0 with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

King's trimmed the lead to 14-7 with a 2-yard pass from Wilkins to Corey Kispert early in the second quarter, but Lynden scored 20 unanswered points to end the half. Hazlett

threw a lob pass to Petersen down the right sideline, and that was followed by a 15-yard Postma TD run.

But the hard-running senior's most electrifying score was a weaving 97-yarder down the right sideline when it looked like King's would get into halftime still in the contest.

"We went to power right on the goal line and coaches were saying, 'Just get us a couple yards. Get us away from the goal line,' you know," Postma said. "I was like, 'all right,' and then I ran through there and saw my cutback. My blockers did an amazing job. It was awesome."

King's cut the lead to 34-14 early in the third quarter, but that was the closest it got the rest of the way.